Familiar Obligations
by Rocks-my-socks
Summary: AU. Nick doesn't get shot meaning that Will and Sonny have to go to family court. With the ruling due in the morning and the case going badly, a relative casts one last throw of the dice to keep Ari with her daddies - knowing full well, it comes at a price…
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, they all belong to NBC's Days. I'm just having some fun!

**Familiar Obligations**

**Chapter 1 **

It is the silence between the two of them that Sonny is not sure he can stand.

Before, no matter what it was, he and Will… they could talk to one another and come up with a solution.

But then – even through everything – they had never been through anything which was completely unthinkable until now. Until this night.

Because in the morning they had to go to the family court where a judge was going to give their baby into the care of Nick Fallon. Their sweet little girl… And there was nothing the two of them could do about it – there was simply nothing.

Not a damn thing.

The entire week had been one never ending nightmare. Nick had used everything in his arsenal against them. He had made veiled comments to their lifestyle, he had used the fact that when Will had been a scared child himself he had signed over the rights to his daughter (the one Nick said he had never wanted) and he had referenced the temper which had left him, Nick, the doting step dad, with a bruise. Added to the fact they had been gagged when it came to Nick's past...

He could not have planned it any better for he had truly left the two of them powerless.

Needless to say, it had not left the two of them and those who cared for them with a lot to work with.

Their last line of defence, Gabi, had been no defence at all. She had held her tongue, crumbled under Nick's control. If he had not been so angry with her then Sonny would have pitied her. As it was, he had never come so close to actually hating her as he did in that moment.

Will's devastation, on top of his own desperation was almost too much to bear.

The one concession the two of them had been left with was they had Ari that night. Going into the darkened bed room, Sonny watched as Will stood over their daughter's cot, heartbroken as he watched their princess sleep her sweet dreams.

Neither of them knew when they were going to get to have her for the night again…

A year of such happiness had passed since Arianna had come into the world. No, it had not been without its trials and no one would say that he and Will had been happy all of the time. But when they were on their own with their daughter? Yes, he felt almost sure he could say they were always happy then. When the three of them were tucked away and no one could hurt them…

He heard a breath leave his husbands body and he knew he was crying. He could not see his face but he knew he was crying as he had never done before. No matter how much the two of them loved one another, it was never going to be quite the same way or amount which they loved the daughter.

She needed the two of them in such a different way. She was a baby – she was defenceless. She needed them to clothe and feed her and to keep her safe from the numerous bad things in the world which could cause her harm.

And if Will did not truly believe that Nick counted among those things then he would not be as scared as he was in the moment.

But he was.

Knowing that he needed to be held as much as he needed to hold him, Sonny walked up behind Will and wrapped his arms about him. His lips pursued as he placed a kiss in the nap of his neck but he said no words.

What was he going to say? That it was all going to be ok? That they were going to be fine in the end? That they had nothing to worry about?

No. He would not say those empty lies, nor would he offer false hope where there was none.

Far better to surrender to the silence.

X x x

"We cannot let this happen," Sami Brady hissed as she sat with her mother, ex-husband, husband to be and Kate.

The five of them had spent the day in court with their boys. They had had to listen to the lies through gritted teeth and she knew Lucas's and Marlena's frustration were double Kate's, EJ's and her own due to the fact they understood so little of what was going on behind the scenes – how exactly Nick was getting away with this.

"At this point there is not a lot we can do sort of kidnapping Arianna to make sure that nothing does happen," EJ said with a sigh. He only realised what he said when he saw a light in Sami's eyes. The light they all knew. "No – no, we cannot do that."

"But why –"

"Because it is only going to make things worst," said Lucas with a heavy sigh and a firm tone. He loved Sami. He really did. She was the mother of his children and the two of them were friends but –

Sometimes she did not think the way they traditional humans did and it was when she was doing that, that she always seemed to make her worst decisions. Unfortunately that side of her also seemed to come out the most when she was put under a great deal of pressure or when she felt she was being pushed into a corner – or even worse, when she felt that her children were being pushed into a corner. That was when she really came out fighting. He knew there were an awful lot of people who would say an awful lot of stuff about Sami if they were given even half the chance. But she was a mother first and she was always going to be.

Which was kind of the way his own mother was and it was in that moment Kate got up from his side.

Throughout the day she had been quite quiet which a rarity was for her. It kind of scared him because when she was quiet it normally meant that she had a plan in mind. The only time he had heard her make a noise was to curse Nick and they had all been doing that. If only the lord had listened to them. As he turned to her he saw there was a determination in her eye. That scared him even more.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I am going to see if there really is nothing to be done. There is one route we still have not tried."

"And which route is that?" EJ asked, clearly taking what she was saying as a personal insult to his intelligence.

"One that only I can go down," she said as she kissed the back of Lucas' head and left the Brady pub.

She had someone to go and see. Someone who could perhaps – if she was very, very lucky – make this right before it was too late.

X x x

She took a deep breath as she knocked on the door. The weight on her chest would simultaneously increase and decrease when she walked through tit to the house she had once been so happy to call her home… and she knew it. That knowledge was as deep rooted in her as the fact the sun rose and set only once a day.

But she had to do this. She had to. This was the last throw of the dice to keep her grandson with his baby.

There was nothing else to do, short of killing Nick.

And so far they had not been very successful at that.

So she had to turn to her last resort. There was nothing else to do.

"Harold," she said as the butler opened the door.

"Ms. Roberts," he greeted the women who had once been the mistress of the house he worked at.

"Is Mr DiMera still awake?" she asked though she was already fairly confident of the answer. Stefano, throughout their marriage, had been something of a night owl. He never seemed to need a lot of sleep to get through the day.

"Yes, he is in the family room."

She breezed passed him.

"No need to accompany me – I know my way," she said as she took a deep breath and stepped over the thresh hold.

And there he was. The man she had once adored and in turn hated with a passion she had felt for no other. That was the thing with the two of them. The bad's were awful, the lows were devastating… and the highs were magnificent.

Or they had been before he had turned into a raging jealous pig.

"Katherine, what an unexpected but pleasant surprise," Stefano said as his eyes glinted the way they did when he knew he was about to get something which he wanted. She was only sorry that she was the something in this case. "Have you come back to finish our dinner?"

She shook her head. "No – no, I have not. I wish I was for that, and I just cannot believe that I am saying these words again, but I am here to ask you for your help."

Which had obviously worked out so well for her in the past, she thought bitterly.

"Anything I can do for you, cara mia. All you have to do is ask."

"All I have to do is ask and then all you have to do is name your price," she said under her breathe but not so much that he was not able to hear it.

He raised his brandy glass to her. "Salute."

So she was right…

"Can I get myself a drink before I say what I have to?" she asked.

"You are a guest in my home. Let me get it for you." He said as he got up and crossed the room to her side, pouring her favourite tipple, as he remembered it when he got there. "So what is the matter, Katherine? I must be the last person in Salem you want to talk to about it, whatever it is."

The two of them had always been straight forward with one another and she was glad to see he was not trying to change that now, for she did not think she could take it.

"It's Will. He is fighting for custody of his daughter at the moment," she said as he gave her the glass. His hands lingered for longer than it was necessary and she found she had to bit her tongue.

He knew she did not want to say what she had come to say. He had too, she thought to herself. And in some ways he was not even trying to make it any easier for her…

But then why would he want to do a thing like that?

"Yes, I am aware of that. Elvis is his lawyer for the proceedings."

Kate nodded. "And as much as he has been able to, EJ has done a wonderful job."

"'As much as he is able to' – what do you mean by that?" he asked as they crossed to the sofa, Kate only changing her mind and choosing to sit in tone of the arm chairs across from Stefano at the last moment.

"Nick Fallon has gaged him – metaphorically."

A look of aggravated curiosity crossed his features. "Nick Fallon - why is it that I keep hearing that name?" he asked.

"Because he is a son of a bitch," She shrugged. There was nothing else to it and she knew no better way to put it to him. She had been about to suggest that the two of them would get along when she thought much better of it. After all, she had come to appeal to Stefano's better nature, if only she was able to find it.

"I am so glad that the two of us do not have to beat around the bush. So what do you want me to do? You want me to take a hit out on him?"

She shrugged – the fact was she did not think she would be too adverse to that but she would rather avoid the scandal right now. If Nick were to die the night before the case then some people might think that looked a little… suspicious. She did not like that type of person. "The judge who is presiding over the case is a Peter Sanderson… who I know is one of your… friends. If you could make a phone call and suggest gently the way that the ruling should go tomorrow, I would – I would be grateful."

"Ahh, I see. But as ever, the question then must be asked. How grateful?"

"However… grateful you wish me to be," she said with a shrug. At this point she had to go all out. Go big or go home.

She had come here to get Will custody of Ari and she was not going to leave without it. Even if that meant she could not leave at all.

She felt his eyes were upon her and knew in a moment he was waiting for her to make her opening gambit. They were down to business at last which was something they both understood.

Very well.

"We can go to dinner… or we can go upstairs."

"Or we can go to see a justice of the peace?" he asked.

"If that is the price I have to pay to keep Will and Arianna under the same roof," she shrugged.

She would marry him again if she had to. It was a small price to pay considering. Arianna's safety was after all, priceless.

"There is one thing I need to know, if I am going to make the phone call and take you under my protection, Katherine."

"That is?"

"What has Nicholas Fallon got on you – on William."

She paused. It was always handy to prepare an answer to these things and she was glad she had done just that before she had got to the DiMera mansion. "He knows that Will shot EJ. If that gets back to Roman then Will would lose his daughter. I can't let that happen."

"And yet dear William never did pay for trying to kill my son…"

"He was a child, a vulnerable child." She insisted, meeting his eyes. She just hoped he did not see her previous lies in them. "He made a mistake and god knows we have all made enough of those, all of us. Except, little Arianna Grace. She has done nothing but her life is going to miserable if she is given in to the custody of Nick Fallon and her mother. She is so weak willed…" Kate growled, her frustration getting better of her.

She may not have said it quite the way Sami had but – there were points that she agreed with.

"Well, if there was one thing the two of us did always have in common then it was our love for our grandchildren, Katherine."

She nodded. That was very true. The two of them had always been passionate about the safety of those they loved…

And they loved those children more than anything.

There was a pause as she took a sip of her drink, the warm liquid somewhat soothing her as she drunk it. "So you are going to help me?" she asked, hope in her eyes.

"I will," he confirmed.

"And your price?"

"You know."

"Marriage? Again? I thought you'd be a little more original, I have to say…"

"Am I disappointing you?"

If it had been over anything else she would have taken the bait and risen to his banter. The two of them could always, after all make one another laugh in the past.

But she was intensely aware that he was yet to make the phone call that was going to save Sonny and Will and keep their baby with them.

"No – No. Trust me, Stefano - you never disappoint me."

_Please review…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Waking up in the mansion was almost like an out of body experience.

For a moment the last two years were gone for Kate. The smell alone brought all kind of memories back to her as she lay in her half-conscious state. She almost expecting to reach out and touch her husband by her side, for that was where he must have slept. This could have been nothing but a bad dream from which she was finally awaking.

It was as if there had been no divorce, no murder trial, no Rafe, no Nick, no nothing.

Just the two of them being the glorious couple that Stefano had promised they were going to be when he had first blackmailed her into marriage.

And then it all slammed in to her at once. That those years very much had happened and there was still no guarantee that her family and those she loved near more than any others would not be hurt by their past that very day.

She sat up.

No matter how she was feeling, she was sure it was going to be nothing compared with what her grandson felt.

Seeing as how apparently she was going to be spending a lot more time in the house she had spent the night in, she would have much rather gone back to her own flat. However, it had not felt the right thing to do. She had had to stay over so that she made sure Stefano made the phone call that could change the ball game which Nick had forced them all into playing.

She got out of bed and put back on the clothes she had worn the day before and was suddenly very aware that she had to go home and change before going back to court.

But first… breakfast.

X x x

Will's hands shook as he tried to do his shirt up. He did not think he had ever felt so sick in his life. Not even after the wedding when everyone had found out that Arianna was his... Even after that day he had had his hope that he and Sonny were going to work it all out. Yes, it had failed him once or twice while they were doing that but in the end, it had all come good.

What hurt was he did not know how they were going to get through this… he had no idea… not a clue.

He had to protect his daughter and he was meant to be her dad.

"But I am not being her dad, am I?" he asked in a slightly broken manner as he felt Sonny behind him.

The hands of his husband on his shoulders did calm him somewhat. Even in these dire circumstances the one thing that did make it better was the fact he and Sonny were at least trying to face this together.

"Whatever it is you are thinking, my love, I want you to stop," said Sonny as he removed Will's hands from the buttons and did them for him. "You are Ari's dad before you are anything else. You are her father in every breath you breathe and every action you take, before anything else. I know it and what is even more important is that our baby knows it."

"But if I cannot find a way to keep her safe from Nick –"

"OK, listen to me. Last night I did not have a lot of hope but do you know what I remember when I got up today?" he asked and Will shook his head. "That at the end of the day no matter what it is – there is always a way. Always," he said as he looked him in the eye and kept his tone soft but firm. "The only dad she is ever going to know is you."

"Well, that's a lie for a start. She is going to know you for her dad as well," Will said. Sonny would have liked it if there had been a little more conviction in his husbands tone but it was a start towards positivity which they both needed more than anything. He nodded, grateful for the words which Will was saying, for he needed to hear them too.

"We are going to be part of her upbringing. She is our daughter and she is going to know that. The world is going to know that. And Nick is going to have to face that fact."

Will agreed, entirely, pausing for a moment to think. "Do you know I remember this one time when I was a kid, dad grounded me… I do not even know what I did now, but I yelled I hated him and I told Grandma Caroline that I hated him too. And she – she said, 'No, Will you don't, you don't hate your dad,' and she gave me this big speech about what an awful thing hate was and how I would never truly hate anyone. I'd be mad at my dad, but I wouldn't hate him… and she was right."

"Of course she was, it's your Grandma Caroline. She is always right."

He paused before he continued. "It_ is _a terrible thing to truly hate someone. And I know that for sure now because I do hate Nick. I hate everything about him. But more than anything else, I hate the way he keeps trying to take my daughter from me. As if he doesn't know she is the most precious…"

"He knows it and that is why he is trying to get her," Sonny sighed – he wished that it was not the truth.

"We are not going to let that happen. Not in the long run… Sonny, if it doesn't go our way today…" Will said as he swallowed a lump in his throat. "Which I think we both know it is not going to. We have to promise – promise we'll be there for one another until we get her back."

"That is the easiest promise I have ever made, baby," Sonny shrugged. "I love you so, so much."

"I love you too."

Leaning over to Will, Sonny kissed him, his lips lingering in a calming manner. But until they knew their daughter was safe and she was going to continue to be so there was no calm for either of them.

Not really.

X x x

"Stefano," asked Kate as she came down to the breakfast table. It was the first time they would share the first meal of the day together since – well, she did not know how long.

"Good morning, my bride to be."

She felt her stomach flip a little at the thought.

When she had come to the mansion the night before she had come with a one track mind and as long as she stuck with that, then she knew she was going to be able to go through with this. She knew that. But then she thought about the implications of what she was doing for herself and she had to say she did feel a little sick.

The time she had shared with Rafe had been wonderful and it had been special. At the time she had thought she was in love. She had wanted to be in love and maybe she had been. As she sat down for breakfast, the fact she was sitting down with the man who had threatened Rafe's man hood for just doing that… well, it did not exactly make her hungry.

"Katherine."

She was shaken out of her thought by that voice. A voice she had better get used to again.

"I asked, how did you sleep?" Stefano apparently repeated his question.

"Like a child."

He looked at her doubtfully. The only people who ever slept like a child in the DiMera mansion were the children who slept there themselves.

Everyone else was far too aware of the history of the house and that went for the two of them more than anyone else.

"Do you mind if I ask if you have made the phone call?"

"I have. I did it as soon as I got up. Peter understands that the child is to stay with her father, where she belongs."

Kate nodded, but remained sceptical. Her heart raced. She had known her – well, she supposed her _fiancée_ was an early riser. If she had got up sooner then she might have heard him on the phone. As it was she had nothing to go on as proof. He might be playing with her as cat did a mouse. It would not be the first time she had felt the pad of his paw toying with her.

That was when she felt his hand on her arm, which did not thing to make her less uneasy. If anything, it continued only to heighten her nerves until he said those words. "I give you my word as a DiMera. William is not going to lose his child."

Of course, there was no way to know if he was lying. Even as she looked him in the eye she could not know for sure. There were those who thought it was surprisingly easy to know when a man like Stefano was lying. The hint was, their lips moved… She was not so sure. She understood him for what he was. He was a ruthless man, a cruel man and she knew better than anyone in the world that he was more than capable of being a petty man. On the flip side, she knew he was, when he turned his mind to it, capable of real warmth and affection. And he understood how important family was. Indeed, he valued it above all others and it was that – which against all odds man her believe him.

Because the alternative made her sick to her stomach. The thought of her sweet little Arianna in the arms of Nick Fallon every night before bed…

No. No, they were not going to let it happen.

They couldn't.

"I also made another call this morning."

"To who?" she said as she turned her mind to the beautifully laid out continental breakfast, choosing a croissant for herself off of one of the plates as well as some jam to fill it. There was also tea and coffee on the table and she picked the former. Usually she would just have a coffee to go these days but – if it was in front of her then she was not going to turn it down.

"To the registry office of course."

She nodded. She had known that was coming.

This was the exchange. Yet again, she was struck by the very – suddenly – real reality of what she had done. Before she had got to the house she had known what he was going to say and what the deal was going to be. She had just known what his price would be… But somehow it winded her all over again to hear him talking so seriously about the two of them - marrying again.

"A registry office? What's the point of buying a trophy and not showing it off?" she quoted back to him the words she had heard that last bitter time she had got caught in this very same web.

Perhaps she might dare to hope Victor was not going to be there this time.

There was a silence for a moment and somehow it compelled her to look at him.

Stefano met her eyes and there was something in them – she could not decipher. There had been a time when he had known her better than anyone, understood her better than anyone and that had gone both ways.

But that time had passed.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

He looked at her with a smile which seemed to want to say more than what it did. He brushed off the question.

"Would you believe it," he changed the subject back. "They had a vacancy at three o'clock. You can met me there after you have been to court with William."

"Today?" she asked.

"There is no time like the present, Katherine."

"And there was me thinking that I was not going to be allowed out of your sight until I said I do."

He shook his head "Unless you are there in that courthouse, when your grandson gets custody, I know you are not going to marry me – why should you? But I am a man of my word, and he is going to get custody. And you, you are a woman of your word. And you are going to marry me."

X x x

"Mom, where on earth have you been?"

Breakfast in spite of the fact it had been a lavish affair had not going on for very long. Stefano had work to do and Kate had had to get out of the house without being seen by EJ or Sami, go home, get changed and get to the court room. How she had actually done it all in time to get to there in time she was not sure but the point was she had.

"I had a little business to attend to, but I am here now," she said with a sigh.

"And are you ok?"

The way he said it made her know he wanted a little more than a yes or no answer. She loved all her kids – she really did. But she and Lucas knew one another inside out. While she loved the fact that she was always able to tell when something was up with him, that was not something she particularly wanted to be a two way street.

He was not going to be a happy bunny when he found out his ex-step father was about to retake that position.

If she knew anything, she knew that. But needs must.

"Yes - or at least I am going to be later tonight when Sonny and Will take their baby home."

The two of them walked down the hall together, Kate's heals being the only thing that echoed upon the marble floor as they turned the corner.

As soon as they did that her grandson was in sight and she felt her heart drop. She did not think she had ever seen Will liked this – not even when he himself had been shot. He just looked as if he wanted to be sick, he was pale and the way he gripped the hand of his husband told her he was clinging on to the one thing Nick Fallon could not take away from him for dear life.

"Honey," she said softly as she got to Will's side.

"Grandma," he greeted her, hugging her briefly before he returned to Sonny's side.

"How you doing?"

He shrugged. She had known that was not the most intelligent question she had ever asked and she knew the answer before he had given her the wordless response.

"It is going to be ok. In the long run… we'll be fine."

Stefano was going to come through for them. He just had too.

"Ari is with Abigail – for the proceedings," He explained, his mind clearly and obviously focused on the little girl.

"Well, that's good – it's good she is with someone she knows. And you never know. Miracles happen. She could be home –"

"Grandma, please don't. I can't," Will shook his head, tears of misery being blinked back.

She nodded, cupped his face and sighed. In his eyes she found all the answer she was ever going to need as to whether she had done the right thing the night before when she had gone to Stefano.

She knew now she absolutely had.

_Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note:** Please excuse the extreme liberties taken with the US legal system!

**Chapter 3**

"Do you want to know what is killing me here? It is that you know this is wrong and you are doing nothing to stop it."

Rafe had not meant to come down so hard on his sister that day but as they sat in the side room waiting to be called into court, he found he was unable to hold his tongue any longer.

He loved Gabi. He really did and with his whole heart. He would defend her and he would protect her if she let him. She was his baby sister and he had seen her grow into a woman.

A strong women… when she chose to be. And it was that caveat which was breaking his heart just then.

Ever since the return of Nick Fallon from New York, he had had to watch his sister become more and more withdrawn and different from who she had been over the Christmas holidays.

Then she had been a fantastic mother to Arianna and a sister to Sonny and she and Will had been the best of friends. The long and complicated history which existed between the Brady and the Hernandez family in some ways should have discounted any chance of them getting along but as it had worked out…

Arianna had been them all so much closer together, which was how Rafe had liked it. For a time, Sami's kids had been like his kids and he had cared for them… so much. He had loved them as he would his own and so to watch Gabi put Will through what she was…

It did break his heart.

"It is going to be ok," she said and he did not know if she was saying it more to him or to herself, as if she had to believe it too in the long run.

He had no idea what this hold Nick had over her was. No one would tell him for one reason or another. More than anything he wanted to have faith in her, to know she was going to do the right thing for herself and for her baby.

But he had none. And the longer she stood there like a deer in head lights, doing and saying nothing that would allow him to help her, the harder he found it to have sympathy for her.

"Gabi, for god sakes…"

"It is time for us to go back in," Nick said, opening the door without so much as knocking.

He looked at Rafe as if he was nothing and had no place being there, which infuriated him further. This was_ his_ sister. Ari was _his_ niece.

The one who had no place here was Nick, if not all of them. This should not be happening. The custody agreement could be agreed out of court if only Nick would allow it…

Rafe felt his stomach turn as Nick brushed his sister's cheek with his fingers, and gave her a small smile as if to say it was all going to be ok. Right then it felt to Rafe as if nothing was going to be ok. Not for a very long time. Gabi, meek as anything, nodded and followed him out the room, leaving Rafe to his frustration for just a moment. The truth was he had no idea where her passion was, where the beautiful headstrong girl he had helped raise was…

He let out a growl. The last thing in the world he wanted was for his sister to lose her baby. He knew how much Ari meant to her mother. She was her everything. But on the flip side of the coin, what he wanted even more than for the girls to stay together was for Nick to never even be allowed in them same room as that baby, let alone practically have parental control over her.

With a sickening feeling in his stomach, he prayed for a good out come to this case and followed his sister.

X x x

"It is all going to be ok," said Kate as she held her sons hand.

She had fixed it. This had to have worked…

Sitting outside of the court room with Sami and Ej, who looked just as worried as Will had done, she felt as if she was the only one who was nearly able to keep her cool.

EJ spoke up. "If you do not mind my saying so, Kate, you seem very sure of that."

"Yeah, actually, mom, you do. "

"Maybe I just have a bit more faith in the legal system than you do."

_I have so much more faith in them due to the fact that they are all corrupt, and I know for sure that they are going to do anything that they can to make sure Stefano keeps their secrets. First on that list is bend to his will._

She knew how the system worked. They all did.

"Nick has fixed this so that the case is as black as night."

"And yet miracles happen."

"Or," Sami shrugged. "They are made to."

Neither of them liked to admit the fact that the two of them were on a very similar wave length – and yet it remained a fact that they were. Had it not been for Kate then Sami had no idea how she would have got up to this point in the whole Nick debacle.

She had faith in her, she realised suddenly. And her confidence, for Sami at least, was infectious. There would be time to quiz her later about what she had done.

Now was not the time for that.

EJ looked at the two of them as if he did not particularly like what they were saying as he got up and made his way into the court. William and Sonny had had their time alone and it was not going to be long before the judge would make his ruling.

X x x

"Last night, new evidence came to light in the custody agreement between Miss Hernandez and Mr Horton. While the time permitting does not allow the court to go into it with any real depth, suffice to say it was strong enough to sway my decision…"

As soon as the judge begun to talk, Gabi Hernandez felt as if her world was closing in about her. When Nick had brought her to court he had said it was going to be so they could do what was in her best interests, hers.

But all of a sudden she remembered the main person in all of this was Ari…

And new evidence. She did not like the sound of that. Whatever it was, she felt Nick tense at her side. He had not known that this was going to come when he had made sure that he was the puppet master of this entire case.

Suddenly, more than ever, she ached to hold her baby.

"This court finds that it is in the best interest of the child to grant full and permanent custody of Arianna Grace Horton to Mr William Horton."

There was a pause. For just a moment the room was so, so deathly quiet that Gabi was sure she could have heard a pin drop. As what he had said sunk in, she felt everything in her tense and hurt.

"No – " Nick said as he got up. "That can't be right!"

"Please don't do this," Gabi pleaded. Instantly, her face was covered in tears.

"Visitation rights will be granted to Miss Gabriella Hernandez every other weekend and at Mr Horton's discretion."

She turned to see Sonny and Will looking disbelieving and giving one another tentative smiles…

X x x

Ten minutes later and Will still wanted to ask Sonny if he heard right. The only thing which was convincing him that he very much had done the first time was the look on his husbands face.

It was jubilant.

Nick had literally thrown nearly everything he had had at them and somehow – they had survived it.

"Ari's safe – she's gonna live with us," he said as he walked hand in hand with Sonny out of the court room.

"Yes, she is. She is going to be fine, baby. All three of us are."

Will felt as if he was able to breathe for the first time since they had got the damn court date. It had all happened so first. When he had asked for the agreement all he had wanted was to know that Arianna was not going to be taken away from him. That he was always going to get a say in her life and be able to keep her safe.

Then the lawyers had been involved and he had had to go to court and everything he had ever said or done wrong was used against him.

And he had not been able to defend himself.

And still he had been granted full custody of his daughter.

As grateful as he was even in that minute, there was something not right here. Someone had said or done something. And he wanted to know who they were right away so that he could send them chocolates…

"So, what happened?" his mother asked as he and Sonny rounded the corner to where Sami, Lucas and Kate waited.

The three of them were on their feet straight away and he knew they were still in the same panicked state he had been in when he had got to court that morning. Yet there was something in him which could still, still not believe he could say the next sentence out loud and have it be true.

"I got custody of Ari."

X x x

And those five words were going to be what Kate got through the next years, she knew it.

The look on her grandsons face as he begun to believe what he was saying was nothing short of blissful. She had had to see him go through so much and it had broken her heart, time and time again.

The thing about Will was just how good he was. Yes, he had made mistakes. But he was a man now, he had grown and she did not know a soul in the world who was braver than he was. He was brave and when he was sure of something he stuck to his guns.

He was a good man.

Sometimes, very occasionally… the world rewarded that type of thing.

With some help from men like Stefano…

"I am so happy for you, darling," she said as he finished embracing Sami and turned into her waiting arms. "Oh sweetie, I am so relieved you get to take her home."

She was vaguely aware of crying from down the corridor, yet somehow she was not able to feel much in the way of pity for Gabi. She had been there for Sami when EJ had tried to take their children from her. And she was never going to be able to forget the sheer hell that Curtis had put her and her own twins through. Yet Gabi had exposed Ari to the worst kind of man, she had been stupid in Kate's estimation. And the last thing she would ever do was suffer fools when she could see those she loved home and tucked up safe together. Nor was she ever likely to forgive those who put her loved ones in danger.

"Thanks grandma, thank you so much for coming down here," said Will.

When he had no idea how things were going to turn out he had not been able to think straight. But seeing her as he did then, sitting outside the court room just waiting to support him if he needed her.

He could be thankful for that now.

"There is nowhere else in the world I would have been this morning. I am on your side."

"I know that. I have always known that," he said as their smiles matched one another. "And now, we are going to go to lunch at the Brady pub if you want to join us."

She did. She so did. If she had her way then she would spend the rest of the day with them, celebrating the win they had had.

Lord only knew they had been due one.

But she had a wedding to get ready for.

"Actually, you know what, I have something I need to go and take care of right now, but maybe I can pop over at the weekend? It has been far, far too long since I have had a nice long cuddle with my favourite grandchild."

"Well, we can have a nice long cuddle now?" he offered, his natural humour returning to him.

"Stop it," she laughed, brushing his cheek with her hand.

"What? Ari has to be behind me on the favourites list!" Will pouted.

"Sorry – you are not as cute as she is so you got bumped down when she came along."

"Well, I agree with that. But, I'm still above Allie, right?"

"Stop!"

And he did because that when Abigail came round the corner with Arianna in her arms and a big smile on her face. From somewhere down the hall Kate heard Gabi give a shriek of anguish and that time, the pain in her voice, the pain that she knew from experience did get to her…

But still she would not change what had happened that day.

Arianna was safe. There was the bottom line.

Kate stayed long enough to see Ari passed into the arms of her daddy. After that, it wasn't long until Sonny has his arms about the two of them and – there was something very right in the words of Ms Roberts.

Or should that be Mrs DiMera to be, she thought.

She checked her phone and saw that it was nearing one. She really did have to go and get ready.

She turned down the hall way and begun to walk, the sound of her heels this time muffled by the sounds around her. She could hear Will and Sonny doting on their baby, chatting to her as she gurgled in response and as she walked on, that sound was replaced by Gabi.

She turned to look at her for just a moment and saw that for once she had apparently rejected the comfort of Nick Fallon and was currently crying into the arms of her brother.

Rafe caught her eye and they nodded to each other.

And for a moment she stopped.

The time the two of them had had together was very special and for just a moment it made her pause. She remembered how they had got together, how he had made her laugh and he had been so good to her after - after Stefano, of all people, had left her so low.

He had nearly lost – well, himself because he had slept with her. And not once had he reproached Kate. Not once had he blamed her.

He was such a good man. Decent.

The two of them had not been together in such a long time but it struck her then… that she was going to miss him. She doubted that she was going to be allowed to be friends with him once she was Stefano's wife.

Stefano's wife.

God what had she done?

But then she thought of Will and Ari together and she knew just what she had done. She had done the right thing for a change.

And it just sucked, for her at least.

On noticing the slightly quizzical look which had come over Rafe's features she shook her head in a gesture that everything was going to be ok, because it was, she told herself.

She walked on with her head held high and a confident stride. She was going to need both in the weeks to come, she knew that was for sure. The last time she had married her husband to be she had become a social pariah.

At least this time she was going to be able to give them an unselfish reason for why she had said 'I do' and that was going to be quite a nice change.

Just as she had been about to leave the building she heard a voice behind her.

"Mom!"

Shutting her eyes, she steeled herself. No matter what anyone thought she did not relish lying to her children and she never had.

Nor would she ever.

"Lucas, whatever it is can the two of us talk about it later. There is some where I need to be."

"That is what I am afraid of. I know you. What's wrong?" he asked.

She let out a small, nonchalant smile. "There is nothing wrong with me. I just have to go and sign a contract."

In spite of the fact she was always going to believe he had made some very poor choices, stupid was never going to be a word she thought could describe her buy. He could hear her lie even as she said nothing but the truth.

"Mom, come on…"

Sighing, she looked at him. She was so proud of him, the man he had become. Like his son he had had his fair share of troubles. And just like Will he had come out go them both fighting and on top.

"If the truth is known I am going to go and do something you won't like too much. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, ok, honey? Just know that what I am about to do I am doing for all the right reasons. And try not to be too hurt, baby. If there had been any other way…" she sighed again, leant over and kissed her sons cheek.

Stefano had made good on his word.

Now she had to go and do the same.

_Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The grey skirt suit that Kate had picked out of her closet for the wedding was far more demure than the red gown she had worn last time she had wed Stefano. Last time it had been all about the show of it for him. She had complied. This time she was not sure what it was about but it was not going to be long until she worked it out, if she had her way.

Arriving outside the registry office, she saw that Stefano was already there waiting for her, in a tux. In fact she thought it _was_ the one he had worn the last time they had got married.

She hoped he was not growing sentimental. That would not be a good thing for a man of his temperament.

And it would make him not only cruel, but worse… dull.

No doubt if the two of them were doing this on a more official basis then he would have asked one of his two sons to be his best man, but as it was there was just two of his men by his side, no doubt there to serve as witnesses to the boss' wedding.

In his hands, he had a bouquet of roses. Red ones.

"For me? You shouldn't have," she said dryly as she walked over to him. And he really shouldn't have had.

"Yes – yes," he nodded as he passed them to her. His eyes lit up as he saw her, and once more she felt her stomach do something that was not very comfortable.

No matter.

"Sweetheart, you look beautiful."

"Thank you," she nodded. But there was a sincerity to her voice in that moment. No matter what she thought of him, he had done a good deed for her that day. It brought him – one brownie point? Maybe. "And thank you so much, for what you did for Will. I am not going to forget it."

"William is family," he said as if the two of them had never split.

She nodded. "All the same."

He returned the gesture and took the seat by his side.

"I thought the two of us might go to Chez Rough tonight, Katherine. Celebrate our reconciliation."

The glance she threw him said it all. They were remarrying but she was recoiled to nothing of what he had done and he should not be such a fool to think that she was.

"As you wish."

X x x

"You said that you were trying to defend my rights," said Gabi as she sat in the side room, still at the court house.

More than once her brother had tried to get her to leave and to go home with him but so far he had not succeeded. It was as if she stayed there then maybe there would be – something.

Something to change what had happened, that meant that at the end of that day she was going to be the one who go to tuck her baby into bed that night.

But in her heart she knew that no help was coming.

All she could do was look back over the mistakes she had made and felt sick. If only she had done to the police that night when Nick had tried to – then maybe none of this would have happened.

Yet she was unable to go back and changed the past.

"And that is what the two of us are going to do," Nick said and she begun to wonder if he could hear how delusional he sounded.

She could.

The court had made its ruling and it had said that Sonny and Will were going to be raising Ari. They were the ones who got to see her first smile of the day. They were going to be the ones who chose what outfit she was going to wear. They were going to be the ones who got to kiss her goodbye knowing that they separation was going to be no more than a matter of hours… for her it was always going to be at least a night.

She could see her at weekends… every other weekend. That was it. That was all of it and it broke her heart.

They had gone already – she had seen them go. Will, being the Will that he was, had tried to pull her aside and let her cuddle Ari before Nick had pulled her away (don't torture her, he had said – but she had been able to see in the eyes of her best friend that was not what he had been trying to do. He would never ever do that - all he had tried to do was give her a little comfort), she supposed so that the two of them could begin planning their next move.

But that was not what she wanted to do.

All she wanted to do was go and have a nap. Sleep, cuddle her child and sleep…

"We're going to appeal."

"Haven't you done enough?" the words slipped out of her mouth before she was able to censor that.

The ice cold stared which fixated on her reminded her of who she was, what could happen and who had the power.

She looked to the floor.

X x x

"And this little piggy went, wee, wee, wee… all the way home," said Will as he lay on the floor next to Arianna, playing with her toes, tickling her belly.

Lunch at the pub with his mother and his father and EJ had been nice. He and Sonny had paid as a way of saying thank you to them for standing by them when he had needed them the very most. Marlena too had come down and explained the only reason she had not been there at the court that morning was because she had had an emergency call, but she had was ever been there with them in spirit.

He didn't mind. All was well that ended well as far as he was concerned.

What had been even nicer than being with every one though, had been the moment when he and Sonny had said goodbye and been able to take their baby home and shut the door.

God knows what had happened for everything to turn about the way that it did.

He was simply so grateful.

"And she is. She is home," said Sonny as he came and sat by the two of them. Will's heart only soared further as he saw the way Ari's eyes lit up when she saw him.

That was the way a baby girl looked at her daddy and no one would ever be able to tell him any different. "I just – everything looked so black when we got her back here last night and now – now the three of us can start planning a life together… without fear."

"Except that we can beat our bottom dollar that Nick is going to protest the decision."

"Well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I just want to have a nice evening in with the two of you… though I do wonder if I should ring Gabi."

He knew that the joy they felt was going to be nothing compared to the despair which the girl he had once called his very best friend was feeling right then. Just the thought of what she going through had made him feel sick when it had been a mere thought.

"Do it in the morning. She needs a little time to – I don't know - Get used to it? Acclimatise?"

Will knew just from the way that Sonny said those words he knew neither of them were right. When you were a parent you did not get used to being without your child. You fought for them tooth and nail until you got them back. And for all the mistakes she had made when it came to Nick, Gabi was a good mother.

She doted on Ari.

Will shook her head. He felt for her. He really did. He had never ever wanted it to come to this. Not for them.

And the last thing he wanted was for Ari to miss Gabi, which she was inevitably now going to do.

The baby, having been laying on her back as her father tickled her, rolled over and crawled to her step father, using his shirt to hike herself up before snuggling into him.

Sonny laughed, kissing his affectionate baby on top of her head.

"What do you think was that evidence that came to light?" he asked at last. Even though it did not matter for it had brought about all the right results…

"I don't know," Will admitted. He wished he did. He had a strange feeling that someone in his family had said or done something. It would not be the first time and god only knew he was powerfully connected in that town.

Had he known what was going on then he was absolutely positive that he would have tried to put a stop to it. Too many times had the members of his family tried to help him but ended up making things worse.

But this time some angel of mercy had pulled through for them and he was not going to mock that.

Mainly because he couldn't. "I am just so glad it did."

"So am I," Sonny nodded, looking back at the girl in his arms who beaned up at him, her hair sticking up at the back from where she had been playing with her daddy. "Look at our life. Look at how lucky we are." Sonny said without thinking.

He turned back to his husband just in time to see a tear of relief fall on to his cheek. Will brushed it away but came closer as Sonny beckoned him.

Then, with Arianna wedged between them, they just cuddled for a bit.

Home, safe and most importantly, together.

X x x

"To you, my love," Stefano toasted as he and Kate share a glass of champagne.

"To my family's safety," she returned.

She did not think she was ever going to be able to raise a glass to the two of them, but she was always going to be able to when she thought of the court proceedings which had taken place that day.

_"Salute." _

She nodded. And then there was a silence.

The problem was, she feared, this was a silence which was going to span the very course of their marriage. She had come to him for help with Will.

She had nothing else to say to him.

After everything the two of them had gone through she had sworn she was never going to have anything to say to him ever again. But mother nature, the universe… it was all a bitch. And what it gave with one had it took with the other.

She had traded Arianna's freedom for her own. A good swap.

Still, one that meant she was going to need a good amount of the rather expensive champagne. Especially when she had to go back to the mansion and be a bride to her groom…

"Katherine, I – I want you to know, I am going to be a very different kind of husband this time around."

She looked at him coldly and wondered what on earth that meant. In part, it scared her that she had thought he had needed to clarify that of all things.

"Well, this should be interesting because I think it would be impossible for you to have been a worst one."

He smiled, obviously taking her deadly serious one tone out of context and thinking that she was teasing him. She wasn't.

She really wasn't.

"Was it all that bad?"

"I do not want to talk about it."

He nodded.

"Very well. I just want you to know that – I, I am not going to try to control you, Katherine. You must do as you will. You are my wife, that is enough."

For the first time since the two of them had sat down to dinner together, she felt that he had aroused her interest. She certainly wanted to know what he had meant by that comment.

"'I must do as I will'. That rather sounds as if you are not going to try to control me, my dear and we both know that you will. It is who you are, it is probably in your very DNA. We both know it is not going to be long before you started dictating what I do or who I -"

"No," he shook his head. "That is not going to happen. You will not divorce me and you will live at the mansion. The rest of it is up to you."

"And if it is my will to go out and be another's? Say I want to go and see my very good friend Rafe?" she asked. As soon as she had said the words she wished she was able to take them back. Not for her own sake but for Rafe's. The last thing that she wanted was for him to be on – on _her husband's_ radar. The two of them were over now and with her being a married women and Jordan around… it was not as if the two of them were ever likely to be anything more.

Her husband… that was going to take a lot of getting used too. Especially considering that it was the last thing that she wanted to get used too.

He did not met her eye but he nodded. "As I said, Katherine. You must do as you will."

And then for the first time in how long she was not sure – he made her smile. Truly. Because she knew for sure, more than ever before, that there was an end game here. This was a scheme, she was sure as grand as any scheme of his had ever been.

All she had to do was figure out what it was.

Once more, she sipped her champagne. Life with Stefano was so many things: but dull or boring? Never.

And that was a small mercy.

X x x

For the first time in a while, Sonny found he could breathe easy. The evening was lovely. They ordered pizza so that neither of them had to bother cooking and spent the time they would (and probably should) have been using to catch up with their chores just playing with their little girl.

Ari had some spaghetti hoops for dinner and then Will bathed her, which was when Sonny took the opportunity to pop out and get a nice bottle of wine. They needed to celebrate and once they had got Arianna to bed, he made no plans to be coy about the fact he wanted very much to get Will to bed.

Their worries and concerns had kept the two of them apart and he wanted to close that gap. The bottom line was he simply _wanted_ his husband so much.

However, just as every cloud had a silver line in, in every blue sky flew a crow. As he crossed the town square, he met Nick.

"She is distraught you know," he said to him as they came face to face.

Sonny shrugged. "Will isn't."

"This isn't over – don't get too comfortab-"

"Have you not learnt your lesson?" Sonny asked as the serene mood which he had been was spoiled, he hoped not irreparably. "Do not _ever _threaten my family. Do not dare threaten to separate the three of us ever again."

"Funny, because with one little word to the police that is just what I could do."

"Wouldn't that be convenient? You remembering just after Will got custody?"

"It would be if I did not have photographic proof."

"Wow," Sonny sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You are really, _really _boring me now. And I have to get back so you know what, I am just going to be on my way. See you later –"

"I say when you – " Nick begun, as he started to block him.

"You don't tell me to do anything. Goodnight Nick."

Had it just been that then he had a feeling he could have kept his mouth shut when he had got home to Will. But when on his way part Chez Rouge, when he saw Kate with Stefano, getting in to his car no less, he knew he couldn't.

It was official.

The world had gone mad.

_Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sami Brady was feeling determined.

When Stefano had returned from dinner with Kate in tow the night before, EJ and she had not had long enough with the pair to find out the whole story. In fact, the older pair had simply wished them both good night and gone upstairs, even as Sami had had to pick her mouth up off of the ground.

Had she had any warning about what was going to occur then Kate had a feeling that she would have laid into her there then. As it was, Sami had had to wait until the morning to lay into her, which a small blessing. She was not sure she had had the energy to seven rounds with her before a sleep.

The night before, mainly because of the fact that for some insane reason she had not managed to work out yet, Stefano was still trying to appear as if he was not calling the shots or trying to control her (Kate was rather interested in how long that was going to last), had not been so horrific.

In fact it had not been at all.

The first thing she had requested, as she did as she would, was a room of her own. The two of them were not going to share a bed again. They were not going to share anything as far as she was concerned and while she would have done anything that she had too… it turned out sleeping with him was not something she_ had_ to do.

So she wouldn't.

She had chosen a room in the north wing of the mansion, seeing as how her darling husband's room was in the south. It was generally where she had always placed visitors when she had been lady of the house before hand, and she knew this was where Chad had chosen to sleep when he had moved into the house. She chose the room opposite his. While the room Chad had used had the best views in the entire house, to her that, that was just what it was: Chad's room.

By the way that he had spoken when the two of them had been at dinner, Stefano had his youngest son were much closer after the time they had had together in Boston. It was only a small chance, but he might come home.

If he did, then she wanted his room to be there waiting for him.

Her view, unfortunately on the opposite side of the corridor, was not so grand. There was no pond, but trees outside her window. Still the room was large and with some adjustments could be as bright and breezy as rooms ever got in the DiMera mansion.

She had cleared her diary that day when she got up. Seeing as how she had had no meetings, that had been easy enough to do and she knew Stefano was going to send people for her things at the apartment.

_Her_ apartment. Brought with _her _money. Where_ she_ decided what went where. Where **she **made her own morning coffee.

It was almost lucky that there was a knock on her for at that moment. She was not sure how ready she was to explore that train of thought.

Think of Will. Think of Ari, she told herself. Because if she thought of the two of them, then she knew she was going to have the will power to endure this and whatever else came to her. And considering she was going to get to see them both that day it was easy enough to do.

"Come on in," she called, turned to see who it was and wished she hadn't said that.

Sami.

At least it was going to be good practise for when she had to explain what she had done to Lucas.

"Are you _freaking_ nuts?" the blonde asked as soon as she came into the room, a scowl on her face.

"Good morning to you too, roomie."

"Really, Kate? **Married **to Stefano? Do you want me to drive you to the hospital because you clearly need to have your head checked," She said, her words coming out with a hiss.

"Ok, you need to calm down right now. I know this seems crazy but let me explain to you."

"Oh, you are going to be able to explain to me why you married the psychopath who nearly cut Rafe's you-know-what off? Oh, I can't wait for this."

"He called in a favour for me. He is the reason Sonny and Will got custody yesterday," she said with a shrug and she saw whatever Sami had been about to say next die on her tongue.

"He – he did what?"

"He said if I married him then he was going to make sure Will got to stay with his daughter. It was a fair swap."

All the fire which she had burst into the room with burned out to ash as Sami sat on the bed.

"I do not know what to say."

"Sami, you do not have to say anything. You just have to know I had a good reason for what I did. And any mother or grandmother worth their salt, with the same choice, would have done the same if they had too."

Sami nodded, somewhat dumbly. "Kate – thank you-"

"Let's be clear. I did not do this for you," Kate snapped. Just because the two of them were not at logger heads any more did not mean that she wanted the two of them to be best pals either. There was an inevitable distance between the two of them after everything they had put one another through and that had to be respected.

Sami looked up at her. "What I said – what I did not say - to you… the other week. I meant it, Kate. I do not want to see you get hurt."

"Well, I do not want to be hurt if I can help it. And I am a big girl. I can take care of myself."

The two of them looked at one another. There was not a lot else to say or so it seemed.

Kate was a married women. Neither of them wanted to see her hurt. But nothing was going to change and the future was not going to reveal itself to either of them.

"So – _roomie,_" Sami smiled. "Do you want some help unpacking when your things get here? I see this is a marriage in name only."

"Yes. Stefano granted me some perks. And a room of my own is just the start."

X x x

"So – you don't think…"

"I do not even want to think about it," Will said as he sat at the table with Sonny, Ari on her stepfathers lap.

The night before had not been all he had hoped it would be. When Sonny had gone out, he had taken a deep kiss with him and Will had hoped, fervently, that when he had got back the two of them were going to be able to pick up right where they had left off.

Bless him, Sonny had tried to hide the fact something was wrong. The problem was he wasn't very good at it, not when it came to Will. He knew him. He knew him like the back of his hand. He knew what muscles tensed up when he was stressed, he knew the tone of voice…

And so it all came out. That he had seen Nick (not that he could bother the two of them anymore – or at least not as much as he hoped he would be able too) and then he had seen his grandma.

On the arm of Stefano DiMera.

Something was just up with that - it wasn't right.

Ever since the two of them had split up, Kate had made it her life's mission to make sure that people knew how much she hated the man she had loved with a passion.

"I am going to go and see her today so we'll know soon enough."

Sonny nodded, quite unsatisfied, but kissed the top of Ari's head. "Well, I am going to go in to work today so I had better get ready to go to work, hadn't I, hey?" he sighed to Ari, who looked about at him. "Sonny has to go to work. You and daddy are going to spend the day together though," he added, kissing her again before getting up and passing her to her father.

"Oh yes. We are going to go and see Grandma Kate… but before we do that, I think we had better go see Momma."

"You're taking her to Gabi?" Sonny smiled.

He was sure if it was the other way round the Gabi, or rather, Nick, would not have been allowed to be so merciful – but then that was Will.

"Yeah, I do not want Ari to miss her mom and god knows Gabi is going to need to hold you, hey? She's going to be crazy without you," Will murmured as he looked at his baby girl.

"Looks as if we have got big days ahead of us then," Sonny sighed.

"Yeah… yeah, we have."

X x x

"Why didn't you tell me mother dearest was coming home?" EJ asked breezily as he walked into the living room with a cup of coffee. "I'd have ordered flowers."

"Truth be told, I did not know."

EJ looked at his father, with a mix of curiosity, humour and somehow respect in his eyes. He had known he was not going to give up until he had got Kate back in their house.

But not even he had realised how quick the old man was going to work.

"So – how did it happen?"

"Katherine came to see me two nights ago and asked for a favour."

"And being the kind, generous man you are, you agreed to help with that favour," EJ smiled. "For a price."

"Nothing in this life is for free, my son."

"The price you charged was marriage."

"Yes."

"But I do not understand father. You divorced Kate. You threw her out of this house."

"What I did was make a mistake," Stefano admitted and the way he sighed made EJ realise how sincere he was being.

"And you think that by forcing her to be your wife again, that will make it right? You think by dragging her back into this house will make her love you can?"

"Katherine is my wife."

And there it was the bottom line. He knew he could not reason with his father. Nor did he care much to do so. What mattered was how this was going to affect him going forward.

"Father…"

"I will keep you a secret about little Abigail, if that is what your concerned with."

EJ nodded. Yes that was what he had been concerned with.

"Thank you father."

"But of course, I do not see what there is to be gained by that secret coming out now. My son, for the first time in a long time, all the family is gathered under one roof, save for your brother and darling Theo… and Kristin. I want to enjoy that. There is no sense in Giovanni and Sydney losing their mother when they have just got their grandmother back. No. I will keep your secret and in time, everything will be as it was."

X x x

Gabi had not slept all night. Even though she had known Ari's dads were going to take good care of her baby, all she wanted to do was go back to the apartment and be with her. Instead she spent the night in floods of tears in her brother's spare room. The truth was… all she wanted was her daughter.

Nick, of course, had argued against her going back to Rafe's. He had said the two of them should stick together. She could not disagree more.

Gabi knew what people thought about now. That she was weak minded. That she was stupid. And that most of all she should not be allowed to be a mother to her daughter.

But they were wrong. She knew it in her heart that they were. Nick could not changed - nor was he ever likely to and she was not blind to that. But she had done her best to protect her daughter. She had done her best to keep the two of them together.

Not that it mattered for anything now.

It was only when her brother came into her and said that Will was going to bring her baby to her that she found she even had anything to get up for that day.

They came over about eleven. Rafe had long since left to go to the police department so it would just three of them. She found she was grateful for that. She wouldn't have minded Sonny being there, but at least the two of them had the chance to talk.

She knew in her heart that she was being slightly ridiculous but the first thing she thought about when she saw her daughter was how different she was. How much she changed overnight. How much bigger she was getting and how much bigger she was going to continue to get.

"Can I hold her?" She said as Will came through the door - he had to let her hold her baby.

He nodded and passed Ari over to her. There was no hesitation. He seemed to know that their daughter needed this as much as she did.

"Oh baby, I missed you so much. Momma cannot believe how much she missed you," she said as she took her daughter in her arms she literally breathed her in. And while not all of it went away (and she doubted in her heart that it ever would) she felt the pains of yesterday eased. "Thank you. Thank you, so, so much for bringing her to me, you can't know what it means."

"I am never going to keep the two of you apart, she needs you too much. You are her mother, Gabi… you are always going to be her mother."

There was so much for the two of them to say to one another. And if he has thought she was up to it then he would have said some of it then. But the fact was, she really needed just to be with their daughter. And he was more than happy to let her be.

X x x

In the end, they had a good visit with Gabi. Ari had been bright and smiley as she had played with her mother. Sonny had text to ask how it was going and Will had replied it was good, but they were missing him. The point was still however, that Nick wasn't there and that was main thing.

Leaving had been difficult and there had been tears from Gabi. Even though Will had promised to bring Ari back soon, and he would have take her to see her every day if he had too, Gabi still had no set time when she was going to see her daughter again. Will could only imagine how agitated that made her and, of course, it made taking Ari away even harder. He did not want to do it to her, to either of them.

But it had to be done, the three of them had to get on with their respective days and they were not living together any more. This was what custody felt like. This was everything that he hoped that be able to avoid, but they hadn't.

As soon as he has Ari strapped back in the car seat, he picked up his phone.

"Hey, Grandma," he said once Kate had answered his call.

"Hey, honey, how are you?"

"I'm good. Is this a good time for me and Ari to pop over? I know you said you'd come to us but we are out and about running errands anyway…"

"Any time is a good time for you both to pop over. Your mother and I were just about have some coffee, but we will hold off till you get here."

"Mom has come see you?"

"Not exactly sweetie…" he heard Kate sigh and he knew whatever the next words were to leave her mouth, he was not going to like them. "You know you're coming over to the DiMera mansion, not the apartment, right?"

"No… no, I did not know that. How on earth was I meant to? Grandma, what is going on?"

"I'll explain when you get here."

Twenty minutes later, Will found he himself sitting in the DiMera living room with his hands around a cup of coffee. As soon as they had got through the door, his grandmother had taken Ari from him and she was now cuddling her great granddaughter with a big smile on face. Upon their arrival he had thought that she looked as if she had needed a reason to, so he was glad the two of them could be that for her.

"Oh, you are getting so big, you need to stop doing all this growing," Kate cooed as she cuddled Ari

Sami for once was being quite restrain. Not once did she try to take their granddaughter from Kate - she seem to understand that she needed Ari's cuddles much more she did right then.

It was worth it, Kate thought. Completely. For Arianna, the marriage was worth it…

"So you going to tell me what's going on? Grandma, why are you here?"

"I here, my darling, because this is my home now. Again."

Kate found she was unable to say the words. She knew she was going to explain this much more than once… and that it was not going to make sense to a lot to people. It barely made it sense to her.

So being careful to hold onto Ari with one hand, she showed her grandson the other one – the one which had her at her wedding band on… the one that showed she was once more Mrs Stefano DiMera.

"Why? Why would you?" Will said with an expression which was clearly horror all over his face.

"If I told you that I missed my husband, would you believe me?"

"No grandma. No, because I know that you hate him. Why would you do this?"

And before long he felt as if he was getting angry. He did not know exactly why because it wasn't as if his family hadn't done much, much worse in the past but this just felt like something else. It was as if she was throwing herself away and he could not stand the thought, he loved her far too much for that.

"I did it because it was the only thing to do."

"Your grandma is right, Will. I know that she did this with the very best of intentions," Sami defended her.

"The fact that you agree that it was the right to have done does not make me feel any easier," Will stated as he looked at the two of them.

He watched as his grandmother roll her eyes so far back in her head he thought they were going to fall at the other side.

"Sweetie, I love you so much but at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what you think."

"Can you at least try explaining it to me? Please?"

The two women look to one another. If it been anyone but Will perhaps Kate would have tried. As it was she knew how guilty he felt when members of his family tried to protect him. She knew that he had never really forgiven himself for letting Lucas go to prison. And what was this marriage but a prison?

She shook her head and then she kissed her granddaughter, before passing her back to her father. "There is going to come a time when I can explain this to you but it's not yet."

If he knew that she paid then that would mar the joy he felt at being with Ari and Sonny.

She had paid too dearly for that to happen.

"Grandma."

But that was when the door opened. For the first time that day, she saw three people who were thrilled by what she had done the night before.

"Nono said you are his wife again! That you've come home!" said Allie as she threw her arms about Kate, followed closely by Johnny and Sydney who did just the same thing.

"That is right my darlings," said Kate as she held on to the three of them.

"So you are going to be living with us?" asked Sydney.

"If that is ok by you," she said, tucking a piece of the little girls brown hair behind her ear.

"That's the best!" Allie answered for her sister, squeezing her grandmother even together, relieving her of some of her doubt as Johnny cuddled into Kate.

She had a feeling she was going to have the three of them on her side no matter what.

And for the first time, with Ari nearby and the three little ones in her arms… Kate begun to feel better.

Watching the scene from the door, looking at his grandchildren in the arms of his wife, Stefano grinned.

Katerina really was home.

_Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Now that all the grandchildren knew, there really was only one other person who Kate to had to tell. And that was Lucas. Rather than making him go over to the house, she arranged to meet him for tea at the Brady pub. It was neutral territory and she had no doubt in her mind that this could be the beginning a war. She would have to work hard to make her son understand.

She left a little earlier than necessary to get there. The children had long since gone upstairs to do their homework, Sami had had a meeting and Will had had to get Ari home for her tea.

If she had stayed in the house then the only one she would have had for company was her husband. That was thought she just couldn't bear.

So when Lucas walked in to the pub, he saw his mother had already picked out a table, was nursing a coffee and trying to find the courage to do what she had too.

To tell him the truth.

"So what is it?" He asked as he sat down opposite her. What made it worse with there was a gentle quality to his voice. "This thing I am not going to like that you just had to do."

"I did have to do it," she said and there was a quiver in her own. The last time she had gone through this she had cried so much but the knowledge she been doing it for Will and Ari that time had kept her strong… or it had done. But now she was alone with Lucas there was nothing she could do because... He was not going to approve of this, not in the least, but what more could she have done?

What else?

"I married Stefano last night."

And in that moment he swore she gone mad. It was the only explanation for what she was saying as it could not be true.

"Mom, I'm really sorry but I thought you just said…"

"That I got remarried last night. That I married man I despise and have every right to. And you would be right because that is exactly what I did, darling."

Lucas sat back and looked at her. Surely, there have to be some sort of mistake but there was no lie in her eye this time.

"Why would you do that?"

It was a fair enough question she thought as tears dribbled onto her cheeks.

"I did it because I had save Ari. I did it because I could not allow her to go into Nick's care, I just couldn't and I need you to understand that, baby," she said the she reached over to the table for his hand. "Stefano made a phone call."

For the moment she thought that was all going to get so much worse because she did not think her son would respond - at all. She thought he was going to walk out of the pub and leave her behind him with orders to only contact him when she had divorce the man he hated so much.

But he did not… he took her hand in his own and he held it.

"Do you understand?"

He nodded. If he had a choice, if he had had her choice, he did not know if he would have done anything different. In that for the sake of his child, he knew he would have done anything they had to. Just as she had done, just that she had always done. The two of them were parents, first and foremost.

That had always been the case. He hoped it always would be.

"I do," he nodded fervently. "I do understand, mom."

What was more, he felt the need to thank her. She had been right - she alone had had the power to keep his son with his daughter.

And he would fight anyone who said she had done wrong, who blackened her name.

"We can find a way to get you out of that house and keep Will with his daughter. I do not know how we can do it yet but I promise you, mom, I am going to find a way."

Kate almost cried the next sigh that escaped body. She was a long way from happy but at least she had her family on her side.

X x x

"It is time for you to come home to me," said Nick as Gabi picked up the phone.

"No…. I am going to stay here with Rafe…."

"And in that case you are never going to get your daughter back."

The threat was so layered it scared her in more ways she could count.

X x x

Being with Lucas had calm Kate. Somehow, she found it always did. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he had been the child she had been allowed to raise. Hers from the very beginning.

And now that she knew he was still hers, she felt just little way more able to go on with what she had to do.

With no other excuses to stay out she submitted to her fate and headed back to the mansion. That said, there was nothing to stop her taking the long way round and so she did, walking back by the pier.

Being by the sides of the water calmed her. She was not sure why - it was not if she were some great water baby, nor had she ever been but that night it gave her room to breathe.

Pausing to sit on the bench, she wondered what on earth she was meant to do now. The problem was she knew exactly what she had to do to… she just had to go on as her husband's wife, as the mother of her children, as the grandmother of her grandchildren - there was nothing else to do…

It took her about twenty minutes to find the strength to get up from where she was then. It was not as if sitting out was going to do have any good… And the last thing she needed was Stefano on her back already.

Just as she was about to go however, she saw someone she did not particularly want see come to view.

"Should you not be with Gabi wiping up her tears and plotting how you are going to take my granddaughter? Or have you at last accepted you have no place in their life?"

"I have not accepted anything," said Nick as she came over to help with that gleam in his eye that said he was not defeated. It made her nervous. "But I do want to know what you did, or whoever did whatever to make sure that we lost that custody to hearing."

"Have you considered that maybe none of us had to do anything? That no one in their right mind would give a baby to you."

"Just tell Will and Sonny to enjoy the time they do have with Arianna Grace. It is not going to last long."

X x x

Kate did not like to admit the little weasel had got to her, but he had. She just did not know what it was going to take for him to see he had no place in their lives, and he was not going to. More than all the rest of them, there was never going to come a time when he had a place in Ari's life. Ever.

She would continue to make sure of that and would marry as many times as it took.

As soon as the door was shut behind her she went into the living room. One of the few perks to her change in status was she would always have access to good liquor when she needed it.

"Hard day, Katherine?" she heard Stefano's voice ask. At the rate she had come into the room, she had had no time to check who was in there already.

Thus when she became aware her husband was in the room, she all but jumped out of her skin.

"You scared me," she said, her hand flying to her chest as she caught her breath.

"Maybe you should look where you are going," he said in that tone which she knew meant he was trying to be funny.

But the two of them did not share a sense of humour anymore – they did not share anything.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Tell me."

Her silence seemed to get the message through to him in a way words did not. The cold glance she threw to him said it did not change a thing. Not the wedding, none of it…

"Do you know what makes me really sad? It is that there was a time when the first thing I would have done when I got into this room would have been to turn to you and do just that…"

She knew it was most likely just the events of the last few days, but at that moment she felt almost on the very edge of losing her emotional control and she could not let that happen. Especially not in front of Stefano.

"But that time is long gone."

She picked up her glass and took it to her room.

He would not see her tears.

X x x

"So I found out why you saw my grandmother with Stefano DiMera."

"And why was that."

"Because they got remarried."

When Sonny begin to laugh out loud, Will was reminded it was in part because of his optimism that he loved him so much.

And man did he wished he was joking. He really did.

"Are there pigs in the sky as well," he asked offhandedly as he looked at Will… who was _not _laughing.

Why wasn't he laughing?

"I am being serious."

"But why on earth would she – I mean she hates him…"

"I do not know… and if I am honest it just – it terrifies me to think about it."

Sonny's eyes went wide. "Because you think he knows about what Gabi, Sami and Kate did to Nick?"

"You see, you think it too, don't you?" Will said as he ran a hand down his face. He could not believe Kate had been so dumb as to give him that type of power over her again. Had once not been enough?

"Ok, so I think what the two of us, from our point of view have to focus on is the fact he has what he wants - that means he is not going to be selling us out anytime soon…"

Will nodded. In his head, he heard the words and he knew his husband was right. His heart was a very different story.

"But that thing, what he wanted and took for his own was my grandmother."

"I hear you, I do. But Kate is a big girl and will get through this."

"But there is no coming out of the other side, is there? The two of them are married for a second time. Son, I just have a very bad feeling about all of this."

"You just answered your own fears, the two of them got a divorce before… and they are going to get a divorce again…" he said as if it was both an inevitability and logical. As if any of this was logical…

"I am glad you think so highly of the matrimonial –"

"Hey," Sonny cut him off before he could finish that sentence. "I am talking about them, not us," he said wrapping his arms about him.

Will nodded.

"Do you want to know what really scared me about it? How cool my mom was with it. She should have been freaking out ten different ways but she wasn't… not even a little bit."

"Maybe that is a good thing."

It was not. Not at all. But it was not as if the two of them could do a thing about it. So a change of subject was very much in order…

Will sighed. "This was not the night I was hoping the two of us were going to have."

"No?"

"I was hoping the two of us were going to make up for last night," Will admitted moving closer to Sonny, brushing their noses together, teasing him with a small smile and wide eyes.

"And how are we going to do that?" asked Sonny.

"Well, first we are going to stop discussing my family."

"Yeah… I'd rather talk about our love life than your grandmothers."

"Ew."

Sonny laughed, holding onto Will a little together, caressing his lower back. "How about you and I carry on this conversation in the bedroom?"

His husband sighed happily.

"I thought you'd never ask."

**Please review!**

**Author Note: **Hey all – thank you so much for all of the support so far, I really appreciate it. I am away next week so there is going to be no updates. I should get the next chapter up around the 25th/26th. Have a good week!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Sit down and have some breakfast, darling," said EJ as he sat around the breakfast table with his family Monday morning.

His father was there with Kate and of course the three children. They had been eating quietly when Sami came running and grabbed some toast off of the table, heals off and hair done but looking in quite a hurry.

"I can't – I did not realise how late it was and I forgot entirely that I have a meeting at nine o'clock. I have to go now. Are you going to be ok getting the kids off to school?"

EJ shook his head. "I have to go into Chicago today remember? I have about twenty minutes till I leave for the airport."

Sami's face feel as her eyes glanced over the three children.

"I can do it," Kate offered and all the of the kids sat up with a smile on their face.

It was quiet clear she had not yet lost her novelty value.

"Are you sure?" Sami asked.

"I think I can just about mange to get the three of them to school on time, though I have a meeting at ten, so we can't be a minute late," she said raising her eyebrows at the children.

"Please, mom!" said Allie, if anything, more of a grandmas girl than she had been before Kate had moved in.

"Well… thank you very much, Kate. Looks as if the kids are most agreeable to that idea," EJ nodded.

X x x

"Come on, we have got to get going," Kate called as she put her coat on with a smile on her face. Half an hour had passed since they had been at the breakfast table and the kids had been sent to do their teeth before school, both their parents had already left and she wasn't so sure they hadn't snuck into the play room.

But it turned out she should have had a little more faith in them as before long, Johnny was there, Sydney hot on his tails asking her brother to help her put her backpack on.

"Have you got your PE kit Allie?" she asked as the little blonde brought up the rear.

"Yup."

"Then we had better get going," she said, touching Johnny's hair affectionately as the four of them made their way to the door.

"Have a good day, bambini's," Stefano called from the living room and whereas Allie and Johnny had been quite happy to shout there good byes back to their grandfather, Sydney doubled back upon seeing him come to the hallway.

"Bye," she smiled, cuddling in to him for just a moment.

She was her Nono's girl apparently.

"Syd, sweetie, we have to get going," Kate said gently again and the little girl flashed Stefano one last smile as she crossed to Kate.

"You haven't said goodbye to Nono yet," Syd complained.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she turned to Stefano. "I will see you tonight."

"Goodbye Katherine."

"Mommy and Daddy always kiss goodbye," Sydney pointed out.

"We really do have to go."

The little girl was perplexed but said nothing.

"I will see you all tonight, sweethearts. Have a good day." Stefano said in a final parting.

But it was the way he sounded… he was so confident and he was almost arrogant about it.

Kate turned. "Actually, I am not going to be back for dinner. I'm out."

X x x

Once she had dropped the kids at school, Kate headed straight to work, parking her car right outside the office building. She had been about to head in when it hit her just how much she needed coffee, and so detoured to Starbucks.

She wasn't angry with Sydney. How could she be? She was such a sweet, loving little girl. And in all honesty, she was sure this change in their living arrangements had to be confusing for the kids in one way or another. While she was not sure if Sydney's memory would stretch that far back she was almost positive that Allie and Johnny would remember the last time that she and Stefano had been married. And the two of them would remember a pair of grandparents who had been very affectionate and loving and kind to one another. They had had each other's back…

And now the two of them were married again, yet they were not really acting like it.

If she was their age, then she would be confused by the whole thing that was for sure.

On the way back to the office she decided it was best if she just set such thoughts asides. There was not am lot she could do about any of it after all. It was a beautiful day, she had a fall line to work on and perhaps…. Somehow everything would be ok.

How she wasn't sure but maybe…

Her half-hearted optimism however was crushed as she saw who was waiting for her in the car pack.

"Do you want my lunch money Nick?"

"No… what I want is a raise."

She rolled her eyes. He had had one just last week.

"You really are out of your god damned mind aren't you?" she asked as she headed to the door to go into Mad World's head office.

His hand upon her arm stopped her.

"A raise." He repeated firmly.

"Not a chance in hell."

Pulling her arm away she scowled at him.

"There is someone in this town who is not obligated to you in any way," Kate scowled. "Someone who is going to be most displeased if he finds out that you have been mistreating me."

"And who would that be?"

"I don't think you want to find out – but if you do, keep pushing. It'd be to your detriment, not mine."

And with that warning she breezed into the building. She had to admit that the one thing she had missed was invoking the name DiMera.

X x x

"I did not mind bringing her to Rafe's," said Will as he Gabi and Ari sat in the pub.

"I know you didn't," she said as she stroked down her baby girls hair as she sat on her lap. "How you doing?" she cooed over her daughter. "Has she been sleeping?"

"Yeah, not too bad. She woke up at four last night but we managed to get her back off."

"Good." She said, kissing her.

"And what about you?

"I – I am coping," she said as she cuddled her daughter closer. These daily, or almost daily, meetings were what was getting her through. Her smile only widened as Ari reached up to touch her hair, sucking her little gummy lip as she did so.

"If I can do anything for you, Gabi, all you have to do is ask."

"Can you let my daughter move in with me?" she bit back. She shut her eyes. In spite of everything she was not angry with him - he was about the one person how she found she was able to forgive in all this.

The one she could not was herself.

He had been the one who had wanted this custody agreement she reminded herself but even in the misery of her separation from Ari, she knew he had not wanted it to be like this. Neither of them had. They had not wanted it to be like this for her.

Gabi turned back to Will.

"I have to tell you something," she sighed.

"Why do I have a feeling that I am not going to like this?"

"Because you are not. I – I have moved in with Nick. He thinks it is going to help when the two of us - appeal the court's ruling."

It was best that she told him to be him straight and – she had to give him fair warning.

But at the same he felt as if she had had the wind taking out of him. The two of them… he had been sure they were getting all long and now…

"He has not given up? Gabi, come on, this cannot be what you want - not him after every-"

"He has changed, he is trying to change," she said as Ari got agitated on her lap, sensing the mood between her parents had changed.

"No. No, he has not and he will not," Will hissed, trying to diffuse the anger in his voice as his little daughter cried out in protest.

He had just known he was not going to leave them be. Nick was far too much of a madman for that… but hearing it confirmed…

"You know it is you I do not get in all of this."

"What is not to get?" she asked.

He shook his head. There was so much he did not think he was going to be able to put it into words at this point.

"More tea?" he said as he got up and headed over to the bar too cool himself down.

"Tough day?" his great grandmother asked.

Will nodded. In spite of the joy of the last few days, sometimes it felt as if tough days was all he had. She reached over the bar and took his hand, squeezing it to offer a little comfort as she did so. Her great grandson offered her a smile. Something's would change… his grandmother would not.

X x x

By the time she got to club TBD at the end of the day, Kate felt as if she owed the cocktail she was about to enjoy to herself. She felt absolutely done in by – everything, the half heart hoped she had had that morning utterly dasahed. After she had had her little run in with Nick, she had had a clash in meetings (both of which it was vital she attended), she had had her computer freeze and then she had had to face some rather unsatisfied clients who had got their delivers mixed up.

Not the best day she had ever had.

"Hey, Mrs DiMera, what can I get you?" Sonny asked as she sat down at the bar.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

"A Cosmo – on the house, for that remark."

Her grandson in law met her eye but was soon getting her drink.

"It is only because you really look as if this is necessary that I am doing this."

"That's good of you," she smirked dryly.

She was aware that all the time he was getting the drink he was looking at her – strangely.

"Are you ok?" he said as he set it down, all the wise jokes aside.

"So I take it you and Will have – well, of course, given the name that you called me when I came in. I will tell you what I have told the others. I married him for the right reasons and I do not regret it."

"But just days after your marriage you are – "

"Sonny, for the love of god, can the two of us have a conversation which does not revolve about Nick or Stefano?" She sighed. That was all that she wanted. One conversation that was relatively normal.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, Arianna is always a good talking point. Will brought her to see me a few days ago. As cute as ever," she beamed.

Sonny smiled broadly. "Yes, she is. And it is so nice having her home and knowing that no one has the right to take her from us… it's like this huge weight has just been lifted off of our shoulders…" he admitted. "And you know her and Will."

"I cannot imagine one of them without the other. Kind of the way I cannot imagine him with anyone else but you. I am very grateful he found you."

Sonny nodded but did not say anything. He thought that was pretty generous of her considering the fact that about five minutes ago she was ready to bite his head off.

"There are not a lot of men who would take Ari on the way you have."

"Well. She is a cutie. And DNA be damned. She's my little girl."

Kate beamed. That was the right answer.

"The three of you should take a holiday," Kate sighed.

She had said that she was going to pay for them to go on honeymoon and it was an offer that was going to remain on the table for as long as it took. That said she had no problem reminding them it was there.

Will had seemed so grey when they had been at the court room. He had had so much on his mind, of course…

But now was as good a time as any for them to get away and recharge.

"I do not think Will is going to be comfortable taking Ari so far from Gabi right now. They are still adjusting and its finals for Will at school and –"

He broke off as he saw Will come into the bar pushing the stroller.

"Hey," he smiled as the man he loved came in. Kate's eyes went straight to Ari, who was stretched out asleep already.

It was that which told her something was up because she knew he'd take her home and get her put to bed normally if she was so tired.

"What's up?" Sonny asked crossing round the bar, too sensing that something was up with Will.

"You are not going to believe what Gabi has done."

Kate felt as if she could slam her head against a brick wall. Whatever her grandson said next she was not going to like.

X x x

It was eleven by the time that Kate made it home. She had had a quick chat with Will once he had told her and Sonny that Gabi was now in residence at Chez Fallon but then he had had to head home with the baby.

As he had gone Sonny had made a reference to the holiday not being such a bad idea after all before Kate had moved on to a table.

And there she sat with her glass of wine at the end of the day when all she wanted to do was go home, have a nice long soak in the tub and then curl up in bed. But she could not because that would mean in some roundabout way that Stefano was getting what he wanted and by her calculations he had had quite enough of that already of late.

Yet somehow her sitting in a bar on her own too felt like he was winning…

There was no middle ground.

Stalking through the hall way she paused just outside the living room. Her husband was sitting on the sofa.

"Good evening, my love?" he asked.

"It was wonderful. How was yours?"

"Fabulous. It was game night with the children. Sydney lost and cried a little, and Allie got bored before the end of monopoly, but Giovanni had a game of chest with me. The boy is a natural talent." Deny it as she might outside she would far rather of had his evening than hers she realised.

The two of them had not been married a week.

But… something already had to give.

_Please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

She had not thought that a lot was going to change in the relationship she had with Stefano when the two of them married, but at the very least, Kate had thought that when she needed him there to defend her, he was going to be by her side.

But as it turned out, he was not even willing to do that apparently.

Nick had so far threatened her in the Mad World car park for a raise. He had approached her in the town square to remind her. He had done so again when she had been having a quiet spot of lunch in the Brady pub.

All these places which were nice and public. And she knew she was being tailed. She just knew she was.

Stefano would not be able to resist. Somewhere in his heart he had to trust her the same amount she trusted him.

Not at all.

So he had to know what was going on. And he was doing nothing about it. Her threats with Nick were groundless without her DiMera husband to back her up.

And her patience with him was wearing surprisingly thin already.

X x x

"I cannot believe you are going to be one in just a few days, sweet pea," said Sonny as he kissed Ari's forehead as he made a coffee.

"This year has gone so fast," Will murmured as he cuddled the two of them from behind.

"And a lot has happened, but mainly… just this one getting more and more beautiful by the day," he grinned.

That was something which the two of them could agree on easily.

Will nodded. "Maybe the year ahead will be a bit more peaceful."

"Let's hope. Even if Gabi and Nick do go ahead with this appeal… it is not going to change a thing. This is Ari's home…"

Will wondered if the two of them were being overly optimistic – the appeal could change everything. But not at that minute it couldn't, and he saw no reason to bring his husband down when he was in a good mood.

"That it may be but it also has to be a party venue in a couple of days, isn't it, princess?" he cooed over his daughter". Have you heard back from your parents?" Will said as he picked up the coffee his husband had made him, thanking him as he did so.

"Yes and they said they were not going to miss it for anything in the world. You know how nuts they are for Ari."

"Well, Grandma Marlena said she was going to come and mom and the kids, dad, Grandma Kate. I think Grandpa Roman is going to drop in as well."

"Mum asked if it was ok if Victor and Maggie came too?"

"Of course it is. The more the merrier, right?" Will shrugged.

He knew how many people there were who wanted to celebrate Ari. She was a good reason to do so.

"And what about Grandpa Steffie?"

"Well if my grandma has anything to do with it, he is not going to come."

"Hell, If I have anything to do with it he is not going to come," said Sonny. He knew that it made him a hypocrite to say he did not want there. After all, it was not Victor was as white as snow. He had done some pretty questionable things in his time.

By at the end of the day, he was family. Proper family.

"I really do not is something we have to worry about," Will said as he smiled at his daughter.

Kate would put a stop to that.

A year had gone so fast.

He just thanked god that it was them who got to plan her birthday party… and not attend as guests.

X x x

"I am going to go to the party."

Living with Nick was not like it was when they had been married. It was so hard: so much hard work. Gabi felt as if she had to be on her guard all of the time, she could not let her guard drop for a moment or he was going to be on her.

She felt trapped. She felt alone.

It had not taken her long to work out that all he wanted was a wife, and an obedient one that. She was not to question him and nor was she to have a will of her own it seemed. And the fear of what was going to happen if she stepped out of line haunted her every moment.

But this was Ari's first birthday.

She was not going to miss it. She had already missed waking up with her. She had already missed giving her breakfast. No doubt she had already missed her opening the first present of the day.

But she was going to miss no more.

"But they have said I can't go," Nick pointed out as he sat the table.

When Will and Sonny had told her that they were going to be throwing a party for their daughter, they had made it perfectly clear that the invitation was for her alone.

And she did not blame them for that. She did not in her heart. If the truth was known, she did not want their daughter near the dictator who was controlling her any more than they did…

But what she felt in her heart and what she was able to say out loud – they were, by this point, two very different things.

"I know - and you cannot know how angry I am at them for that. But I have to go… and I have to see her on her birthday."

Desperate did not feel adequate enough to describe the way she felt. She had to go and be with her daughter… otherwise she was going to have all this family fussing over her and Ari was going to be wondering where her mother was, something she did far too much of these days anyway.

Nick looked at her for a moment and his face was so unreadable that it terrified her. She had no idea how this was going to play out.

That was when he got up and walked over to her. He cupped her face and she leant into the hands just as he would expect her to, shutting her eyes as she steeled herself before she opened up her eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Of course you have to go and be with Arianna. Give her a kiss from me, ok?"

She nodded, placed a gentle hand over his and nodded.

X x x

Kate ran her fingers through her hair as she came up the drive way, frustration pouring out of her.

She had had it with him. She really had.

Nick's verbal assault on her that day was going to be his last. She swore that if nothing else.

He had worked for the morning, the swanned off to lunch with Gabi apparently.

She was paying him to do nothing but antagonise her.

And she hated that.

She was fuming silently to herself as she got back to the house, full well in the knowledge that she had to get out of the mood she was in just then if she did not want to put a damper on her little great granddaughter's birthday party which, of course, she did not. But her anger only rose in her further when the first thing she saw in the hall way when she stepped through the door was her husband.

Her husband who had made a fool out of her time and again and was continuing to do so.

Even then he was, she thought as she took him in, standing in the hall way in one of his fine suits with a present wrapped in pink gift wrap in his hands…

Surely he was not thinking?

"No." her voice was steady and sure.

"What? What do you mean no?" he asked with a smile on his face that suggested to her he believed her to be going to a little mad.

But she was not… she just felt mad. So angry that she would…

"You are not going to come to Ari's birthday party with me."

"Sweetheart, I am your husband, it is –"

"My husband? My husband?" she asked as if the idea was ludicrous. He continued to look at her as if he had no comprehension of why she was upset but he knew. They both knew.

Nick had threatened her out in the open and he had done it more than once. She had been the one to come to him for help and so he was going to be questioning her… especially after all the noise she had made after – everything.

Rafe, the divorce. She had said she was never going to go near him yet she had.

He knew what was happening with Nick. He knew it she could see it in his eyes. And he was doing nothing about it.

"Then act like it!"

There was only so many fronts she could fight a war on. She had to fight Nick…

But the two of them. They did not have to be at war. There was a way she could come home and relax, there had to be.

"Defend me!" she raged on. "Actually act like a rational human for once in your life and try to work out how the of us are going to make this mockery of a marriage work or let me go. But until then, defend me."

It was not unlike her to have an outburst. They had been quite common in the past.

But it was the way she had said what she had and the strength of her feelings which surprised them both.

Did she… actually… want this to work?

"I am going to go to the party and then I am going to see you tonight. For the love of god, Stefano… something has to give."

X x x

"You look as if you need a big glass of this," said Sami as she poured a glass of wine for Kate.

After she had left the house she had gone for a brief drive and thus had ended up being late for Arianna's birthday party. It had not been her intention but after the blow out she had with Stefano, there was no way she could have just come right over.

She had taken have a moment to compose herself and she was glad she had. Still, she thought one glass would help with that some more…

"Yes I do," she said as she took it from her gratefully.

She had no idea how she was now meant to be a charming party guest. But she'd found a way. She was good at finding a way, she thought to herself. Suddenly it was her go to thing.

"And there was me thinking you were going to have the old man with you when you came into the room," Sami said with a smirk.

"Well, it was not for his lack of trying. And considering everything he has done, it was not easy to say no, believe me…" she said as she thought of the way he had been standing by the door in his suit when she got back. He** was** the reason they still had Arianna. "But this is Ari's day and I want all the focus to be on her."

If the truth was known she was sick of the fuss her marriage had caused at this point and she wished people would just stop commenting on it. It was done and that was final as far as she was concerned.

She looked about the room and took in the familiar faces… there were a few which were decidedly hostile but they were not worth the time it would take to dwell on them she decided.

There was Lucas and Sami and EJ. While she did not know what EJ exactly had been told about her nuptials, he certainly was not about to take it out on her. The kids were delighted. Victor and Maggie were looking at her as if she had grown another head, but then that was to be expected.

"Left the hubby at home Kate?" asked the Kiriakis patriarch as their eyes met.

"Yes, I did. What a pity your wife did not have the same sense."

She turned just as she realised that Maggie was about to be indignant. That was one argument she really did not care to have, but as she turned, she turned right… into to Rafe.

There was a silence for a moment.

She had no idea what she was meant to say to him, so she was glad when he spoke first.

"Can we speak in the corridor?" he asked.

It was their niece and great grandchild's party and neither of them wanted to make a scene. But they did need to discuss what had happened.

They were friends and she wanted them to remain friends even threw this… if it was at all possible. If she was honest though not even she knew how that was meant to happen. But perhaps they'd try.

She nodded and followed him out.

For a moment, there was again a silence between them again…

"Please do not judge me… or think badly of me. I think if it was anyone else then I could take it but not you," she said honestly. She did not like people to know she cared about what they thought of her. There were not many people who she would give that kind of power over her. Rafe was one of the few.

He sighed, looking at her with a small smile. If nothing else the two of them did care for one another.

Truly.

"I am not going to do that," he shook his head. "I am just upset you have got yourself in this situation… but I spoke to Sami and she seemed to understand that you had to do this for some reason… I kind of figured if you could make her see this was for a _good_ reason… then you could do the same for me."

Ignoring the angry part of herself which said she did not have to give any one an explanation for what she had done… she composed herself. "He made a phone call which influenced the outcome of the custody hearing…" she admitted. "Which is, of course, going to cut me no slack with you."

"Why do you think that? Of course, I want Arianna and Gabi together, but I think we all know she is not in her right mind about certain things right now. The boys are going to keep Ari safe… they are not going to take her from Gabi… I can see why you did what you did. I don't like it but maybe… it had to be done," He shrugged. "I know it was a long time the two of us split but that doesn't mean we're not friends. I care about you."

She sighed, relieved. "I am glad to hear that. But I have Lucas on my side, he says that if he can then he is going to find me a way out of this…" she said brightly before admitting the truth: "I just know there is none."

"Kate."

"Let's be friends. Let's go and dote on that beautiful girl." She said as she tried to take the heat off of herself.

"Ok," he agreed, knowing he'd get no more from her.

He nodded and pushed open the door, and was just about to usher her back in when someone stepped out. EJ.

"Rafe, you go back in," she said as she read the look on the face of her step son. The agent nodded, and headed inside the apartment. Once the door was shut again, she painted a smile on her face. Whereas the discussion she had had with Rafe had been about truth, she did not think this conversation was going to be quite the same. "What is it, EJ? If we stay out here too much longer then we are going to miss the cake."

"I want to talk to you about your marriage to my father."

"I do not think that is any of your business," she said breezily.

"But I do. Kate, when there is a tension in the house where my children are living then it becomes my business," He said as if it was common sense and in that moment she loathed him due to his logic… because no matter how much she wanted him to be wrong, she knew he was right. "I know you have good reason to dislike him –"

"I do believe that is what we call an understatement."

"But no matter what he had said or done in the past – you know he cares for you? Genuinely, he does."

"That is why he cast me out of his life," she said with a sigh.

"No – no – he made a mistake. One he recognizes, I believe. And has tried to make right with this marriage."

"You cannot fix that sort of betrayal by black mailing someone into marrying you," she shrugged.

EJ smirked at the absurdity of their situation.

"Normally, I would agree with you entirely. But the two of you always rather use to play by your own rules, ones the two of you made up. You loved my father once, Kate. I know you did. Are you sure you can't love him again?"

She laughed. There was nothing else to do.

"Where is he? He said he was going to come with you today."

"I put him straight."

EJ sighed. "You know my father has no intention of divorcing you, don't you? You are Mrs DiMera – for the long haul. Why make this harder?"

"What reason do I have to make it easier?" she replied as if that wasn't what she wanted too.

"The good memories. Johnny, Allie, Sydney. There are four good reasons to start with."

And with that he walked back inside.

X x x

"Oh, happy birthday little girl. Have you had a good day with daddy and Sonny? Have you angel?" cooed Gabi as she stood in the kitchen with Ari in her arms.

At last…

Ever since she had got there she had barely let her girl out of her arms, let alone her sight.

"She has – she had a little bit of some pancakes for breakfast and then she played with Sonny for a bit before lunch and then mom, EJ and dad got here with the kids," said Will as she smiled at her daughter.

"Thank you," she nodded. She was glad she had had the two of them had given her a good morning.

Will smiled. "I hope we did not make things too awkward with Nick."

"You did, but I do not suppose it could have been avoided," she said as she hugged her daughter.

They both knew that subject was never going to be one they saw eye to eye on.

Not at the moment.

Will withdrew from the conversation and headed over to where he saw Sonny standing with his mother and father. Wrapping his arms about his husband, he sighed and nuzzled into him a little.

"You okay?"

Will nodded.

As long as he had his husband, he'd always be some version of okay, no matter what else was going on…

X x x

The party was a great success. By the end of the day, when Sonny and Will tucked their daughter up in bed, she was both spoilt and exhausted. The two of them were both exhausted too.

An entire year had gone by with their little girl.

"What did we even do before we had Ari?" asked Will as they tidied up, Sonny picking up all the gift wrapping and Will washing up the cutlery.

"I do not know. It's funny… I really can't remember life without her… we must have been bored." He shrugged.

There was no chance of that these days.

_Thank god._

X x x

Getting out the car, Kate took a deep breathe.

The thing about EJ and herself was half the time they did actually get on really well. They had the same kind of moral compass and both talked straight. Much like his father, for not one day of their acquaintance had she found him dull.

There was not a lot of people she could say that about.

But she did not like him that day because he had had a point. There were reasons to make this easier, for herself any way.

Reasons she was loathed to admit, but understood.

She did not want every day to be a battle field. She had to fight Nick and so she did not want to fight those who were meant to be on her side. And her husband should be on her side most of all.

Opening the door, she knew it was that mentality she had to keep when the two of them were talking.

"Stefano," she called as she walked into the hall.

Upon receiving no response, she breezed in to the living room… to find her husband, slumped over in his chair.

"Stefano," She repeated as she crossed, shaking his shoulder when she got there…. Only to get no response. "Stefano?"

She heard the panic rise in her own voice.

And then she cooled. She breathe and she thought. It had to be his insulin. He must have forgotten.

This was it, she realised. Her chance. Her way out.

If she left, went to Club TBD for an hour and had a drink then she would return to her freedom. EJ and Sami had taken Caroline home with the kids so they wouldn't be back for a while.

They could find him and she could take the apartment off the market and Ari would be safe and so would she be.

Her phone weighed heavy in her purse. She was at a cross roads.

And she did not know what route to take.

Either way, she did not have long to decide.

_Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

EJ ran into the hospital room to find Kate sitting by his father's side.

"Is he ok?"

She signalled for him to be a little quieter when it was obvious Stefano was trying to get some rest.

"He is going to be. He let his blood sugar let too low," she said exasperated. How long had he had his diabetes now? He was a grown man and should be able to manage it. She was amazed he had survived this long without her or Lexie looking out for him.

"You should have let him come to the party." His tone was not scolding but more a matter of fact. He would have got what he had needed there. There had been sugar aplenty between the sweets and the cake.

"The thought did cross my mind," she admitted. "But – the doctors say he is going to be fine."

"Good," EJ nodded. "Thank you for getting him to the hospital."

"What else would I have done?" she said as she looked at him.

X x x

"_What are you thinking?" she scolded herself as she reached into her purse and made the 911 call._

_If it had been just after everything had gone on with Rafe then she might have let him be… but time had moved. She had returned home with the memories of the good times in her mind. She might want rid of him, but Johnny and Sydney did not want rid of their grandfather and Kristen, EJ and Chad did not want to lose their father… there had been more than enough loss in their family._

_And so she had to do the right thing by her beloved grandchildren._

_And the right thing was to save the life of their beloved Nono. _

_Once the call was made she crossed to him once more and took his temperature…_

"_It's going to be ok," she murmured as she touched his cheeks. _

_It was going to be. It had to be._

x x x

EJ gave a thin lipped smile as he took a seat by her side. "Well, I do not know what I would have done if I was you – so thank you."

"We really need to stop talking like this. I'll think you care."

"The same goes for you, my dear. Blackmail…" he pondered. "Tell me, did my father have to work that hard at persuading you?"

"There is the EJ I know and… acknowledge."

"Come on Kate… the two of you. Was it ever really off the table?"

"I think your father ensured –"however, Kate was cut off at that moment when the man on the bed moaned out.

Having seen him slumped over in that chair, Kate had realised how… how desperate she was too be out of this marriage. And it turned out she was not very desperate at all.

"Stefano…." She said as his eyes opened.

He groaned as he came to.

"You are at the hospital father," EJ explained. "Your blood sugar got too low."

"Blasted – "

"How many times is this going to happen before you realise you need to take your insulin," said Kate, sounding every inch the reproachful wife. "You need to take better care of yourself, for the love of god."

Even in the situation that they found themselves in, EJ could not keep the smirk off of his face. He realised he was not the only one who was surprised by her tone by the look on his father face, which soon settled into a bizarre kind of gratitude.

"At least this one more," he muttered as he reached for her hand, leaving an open plam settled upwards on the mattress.

"Just because I did not – " she begun but it did not take a look from either of two cut her off. She did that herself. He had had a fright… he did not need to be yelled at.

He needed her hand to hold.

For Johnny. For Allie. For Sydney, she thought to herself, and put her hand in that of their grandfather's.

X x x

"Two months," said Will as he lay on the sofa, the post by his side.

"What's that?" Sonny asked as he got ready to go to work.

"Two months until we have to go to court to fight the appeal. Nick really wants to force this," he sighed as his eyes drifted to the door where his daughter was still sleeping.

"He did not win last time and I promise you, he is not going to win now," Sonny murmured, as he bent down to kiss him.

"I know that. I just wish we knew what evidence it was that swung it our way. If we did then we could build on it."

"Well, surely we can find out from EJ? Why don't you take Ari over there? I am sure your grandma and mom would be glad to see their little princess."

"I might just do that." He nodded, "and then on the way back I am going to swing by the travel agents and see if I can get a few brochures. We need that honeymoon, Kiriakis. And we need it fast."

"You are going to get no argument from me there. You two, somewhere hot, a bit of beach."

"Or we could see if Gabi or mom or dad could take Ari and it could be just us, somewhere hot with a bit of a beach," Will suggested as he gave a wide smile at his husband.

Since things had begun to settle down a bit, he had had more time with Sonny which was what he wanted. But there was no such thing as too much time with him… and they had time to make up.

Once again his husband swopped down to kiss him.

"Even better."

X x x

"You heard the doctors. You are to have a couple of days rest, no stress," said Kate as they got back to the mansion.

She had hoped that once they had got his father settled then EJ was going to leave the two of them too it, yet he had seemed to want to stay to see the show between them.

"Katherine, I am fine."

"We have just got back from the hospital. You need rest."

"And I will do that once I have seen the little ones. I have not seen them for days now."

Katherine would point out that great exaggeration but when the house they lived in was the size it was…

"Well, then I am sure their father will give them a kiss from their Nono. I want you to go in to the living room and sit down," Kate insisted.

She sent a look at EJ which said she was not suggesting that he went to see the children. It was telling.

"Father, if you need anything then I am going to be upstairs."

"I will see that your father is going to be well taken care of," she said as he went on his way.

"And you intend to do that by bossing me around?" questioned Stefano as he argued no more but walked the way she was directing him.

"I intend to take care of your health if you will not. Is that not your wife's role?" she asked and he was almost stopped in his tracks.

The last they had been in the house together seemed to hang around them like a ghost all of a sudden. There was much he was glad he was going to get the chance to say.

"Katherine, I – "

"Sit down."

"If you sit by my side then I will," he bargained as he sat on the couch and held his hand out to her as he had done at the hospital.

Now that he was more himself she ignored the hand… yet she sat by his side.

"Katherine," Stefano begun again. "I want to say something to you."

"Well, go ahead."

"That…. That what I did was terribly wrong," he begun and she knew he was not referring to the fact he had let his blood sugar get too low. This apology went way back and it was long overdue. "That I should not have tested you…" he mumbled threw what she knew were very hard words for him to say. "That I loved you, as I love you… and I'm sorry. Darling, I'm so sorry. I do not know if that makes a difference. But I do not want this marriage to be… a mockery, even if we have had… a bad beginning."

She nodded, suddenly appreciative of what he was saying. There was no way to know if he was being sincere. But she had to take it as such if they were going to stand any chance of a life together.

"Well… that's a start."

"No," he murmured, eyes glinting as he looked at her. "I want to take you for dinner…. As soon as I am well enough. _That _will be a start."

She smiled and nodded, reaching for the hand which she had rejected not so long ago.

X x x

"So, how is he?" Sami asked as she sat with EJ on the patio.

"Well, taken care of I think," He sighed as he poured them both a cup of coffee.

"Kate?" She asked as her eye brow rose.

He held up his hands defeat not wishing to carry on the subject.

"Busy day?" he asked.

"Not really," Sami replied, disgruntled. "I am going to take the girls into town to get new dresses, both of them have parties coming up and Johnny had a play date."

"So you both have plenty of time for a visit from us?" a voice said from behind them.

"Always," said Sami as she turned to her son to see he had his daughter in his arms. "Give me my little princess!" she beamed.

"If it was you and not EJ that I was here to see, I would be hurt by that," her son teased. "But by now I should be used to the fact there is only one reason people want to see me," he murmured as Ari settled quickly in the arms of her grandmother.

"Hello, my darling son," she corrected herself.

"Better late than never."

The lawyer sitting across from her was, however, far more ready to engaged in an actual conversation as Sami turned her attention back to Ari. "Here to see me William? To what do I owe the honour?" he asked.

"I need to consult with my attorney," he admitted as he pulled the letter he had got that morning out on his pocket.

Sami looked up curiously, concerned by what her son had said.

"Mr Fallon is not giving up easily, is he?"

"What does he want?"

"The same thing he has wanted all along, my dear," EJ murmured. "The little angel in your arms."

Instinctively, Sami held her granddaughter closer. "Well, he can't have her."

"No – no, he can't not. But he will appeal on Gabi's behalf all the same."

Sami scowled. "I am so sorry we started all of this. If we had only handled things differently the night he had gone in to the river – if only he had stayed dead!"

"We can't go back, though I freely admit that would have been preferable." EJ murmured. "So this tells me round about the date we have to go to the court. What I want to know is why you want to consult with me?" he asked as Will sat by his mother's side.

"The evidence that came to light before the first case… Sonny and I wondered what it was."

"And if I could shed any light on it then I would… but the truth is I do not know any more than you do," He said as he put the letter down.

"You must – "

"I suspect your grandmother could explain a little more than I can…"

"EJ," Sami warned, patting Ari's back as she fussed a little.

"Grandma Kate? What would she know?" Will asked.

"Nothing…. Nothing," Sami shook her head, smiling at his daughter.

"Mom… is she here?"

"She is but… well, you might as well know. Stefano had a scare and she has spent last night and day doing her Florence Nightingale routine."

"I can't think that is going to be very good," Will said teasingly allowing the subject of the letter to be dropped. "I take it you disapprove, mom?"

"Marrying him is one thing…. Liking him is another, I can blame her for that…"

"You do know you make no sense what so ever."

"William, surely the two of us are used to that by now."

X x x

By the time the weekend rolled about, Kate had to admit she was more than ready for it. Grabbing her coat and bag, she headed out of her office with thoughts of the two free days ahead in her mind.

It had been quite the week between the party and the trip to the hospital and then the more amicable relations she now had with her husband. She was glad for that, at least. It meant she could spend some time around the mansion without having to going out to pointless place she did not really want to go, just to punish Stefano.

That was at an end.

"Good night," she said as she past reception and breezed out the building. And there _he_ was waiting for her… or at least there.

Nick Fallon stood in the car park. Like a school yard bully… only for the first time he was on the other side of the car park, simply staring her out. She crossed to her car, got in, and drove home.

He rather seemed to have lost his tongue.

_Thank you, Cara. At last…_

X x x

Knocking upon her husband's door, Kate waited to be called in. When she was, she saw Stefano was sitting up in the arm chair by the window looking decidedly grumpy.

She felt a smile grace her face when he visibly brightened upon seeing her.

"Katerina, finally, you're home!"

"I am not later than I said I would be, am I?"

"No… I was just bored without you."

"Always the flatterer," she sighed as she sat opposite him on the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Bored," He stated again.

"In other words, better than you did," she sighed. "And that's good. Because I hope you don't mind, but I rang Abe today."

"Yes?"

"Theo and he will be joining us for dinner Sunday. I've not seen him since we got married and… and I know how much he means to you."

"Mind? I'd never mind that… He is family and his mother's child…" he said as he turned to the window, looking out of it. She knew he was suddenly very far away from her.

Perhaps he wasn't feeling as well as she had hoped when she had initially come in the room… he was distracted. But then at this time of year, that was not a surprise.

"It seems hard to believe… that's it been nearly two years since…"

"Since Alexandra went to join Anthony."

There was a pause.

"Stefano, I cannot imagine what it is to lose a child…"

He nodded but said nothing. What else was there to say?

"But we still have the grandchildren. He'll cheer you, Theo will."

"They all will!" he said turning to her with a soft smile, recovering himself. He paused before speaking again, quietly. "Are you out tonight?"

She did not want him to think he was entirely forgiven. He was not and she would not give him the control he had said he was not going to try to exercise over her.

But going out… it would not aid there relations, which were finally something other than utterly sour.

"No. There is an awful film on TV, popcorn in the kitchen and I could use an early night and my feet up," she said as she got up. "I'll stay." Just as she was about to leave, she turned back, crossed theroom and kissed his cheek, allowing her lips to linger for just a moment.

Then, she went to her own room, removed her shoes and ran a deep bath.

It had been a difficult week. But it was over.

_Please review!_


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